Looking for recommendations to make SL run faster on my PC

[Amy Nguya]

I've been on SL for quite a long time now but I have never really had a non-laggy experience, the PC I have now is probably the best I've had but it still lags quite a bit and takes forever to load stuff. So I was wondering if anyone who is more tech savvy than me has any recommendations for things to buy for an upgrade? Below is my computer specs if there's anything else I should add please let me know.. 

Processor    Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-9100F CPU @ 3.60GHz   3.60 GHz (has 4 cores)
Installed RAM    8.00 GB (3.6 available)
Device ID    B3328B48-9621-47B7-9FC6-0B23952FFA50
Product ID    00325-81908-88372-AAOEM
System type    64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
GPU    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650

Disk    512GB PCS 2.5" SSD

 

[MoiraKathleen]

It's helpful to also see the information from the viewer ("Help" menu -> <viewer name>, click the "copy to clipboard" button and then paste that info here).  This allows people here to see the graphic settings the viewer is using and reporting on, and there may be some suggested adjustments that you might be able to make to reduce lag a bit.

[Amy Nguya]

8 minutes ago, MoiraKathleen said:

It's helpful to also see the information from the viewer ("Help" menu -> <viewer name>, click the "copy to clipboard" button and then paste that info here).  This allows people here to see the graphic settings the viewer is using and reporting on, and there may be some suggested adjustments that you might be able to make to reduce lag a bit.

Okay thanks I'll try doing that now 

[Amy Nguya]

Firestorm 6.6.14 (69596) Aug  1 2023 13:18:08 (64bit / SSE2) (Firestorm-Releasex64) with Havok support
Release Notes

You are at 182.0, 88.4, 67.9 in Relleri located at simhost-081551bdd48a1ac75.agni
SLURL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Relleri/182/88/68
(global coordinates 287,414.0, 275,032.0, 67.9)
Second Life Server 2023-07-31.581251
Release Notes

CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-9100F CPU @ 3.60GHz (3600 MHz)
Memory: 8135 MB (Used: 1106 MB)
Concurrency: 4
OS Version: Microsoft Windows 10 64-bit (Build 19045.3324)
Graphics Card Vendor: NVIDIA Corporation
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650/PCIe/SSE2
Graphics Card Memory: 4096 MB

Windows Graphics Driver Version: 31.0.15.3640
OpenGL Version: 4.6.0 NVIDIA 536.40

RestrainedLove API: (disabled)
libcurl Version: libcurl/7.54.1 OpenSSL/1.1.1l zlib/1.2.11.zlib-ng nghttp2/1.40.0
J2C Decoder Version: KDU v8.2
Audio Driver Version: FMOD Studio 2.02.15
Dullahan: 1.12.4.202209142021
  CEF: 91.1.21+g9dd45fe+chromium-91.0.4472.114
  Chromium: 91.0.4472.114
LibVLC Version: 3.0.16
Voice Server Version: Vivox 4.10.0000.32327.5fc3fe7c.571099

Settings mode: Firestorm
Viewer Skin: Firestorm (Grey)
Window size: 1920x1017 px
Font Used: Deja Vu (96 dpi)
Font Size Adjustment: 0 pt
UI Scaling: 1
Draw distance: 64 m
Bandwidth: 500 kbit/s
LOD factor: 4
Render quality: Medium (3/7)
Advanced Lighting Model: No
Texture memory: Dynamic (512 MB min / 10% Cache / 10% VRAM)
Disk cache: Max size 2048.0 MB (6.7% used)
Built with MSVC version 1935
Packets Lost: 0/10,302 (0.0%)
August 16 2023 17:41:25 SLT

[MoiraKathleen]

I don't see anything that obviously jumps out, but hopefully other people more technically proficient will stop by this thread and have some advice regarding setting adjustments and have some answers to your actual question about what specs to look for in a PC upgrade.  

There was a recent thread with quite a bit of discussion regarding what to look for in a new PC - it might be worth browsing that while waiting for other people to chime in here on your thread. 

 

[gwynchisholm]

More ram first, and ideally faster ram if your motherboard supports it. That will depend on the chipset, for intel 9th gen you either have a H310, B360/365, H370, Z370 or Z390 board. Only Z370 or Z390 will support higher than base speeds in XMP so anything else get 2666mhz ddr4.

For the cpu any 9th gen choice, unless you find a good deal on an 8th gen cpu. Though I wouldn’t really recommend a cpu upgrade on 9th gen as they’re really expensive still, something like the i7 9700 would be a really big jump in cpu performance for the system overall, but would bring minimal benefits for SL, but they still usually cost 130-140$ which just isn’t worth it versus saving for a newer platform.

A gpu upgrade will be dependent on your systems power supply and overall dimensions to determine what would be best for it, there’s a lot more choices there. To pair with the 9100F as is, or do a cpu upgrade, the wattage available, etc. Without a lot more detail on the hardware in question a gpu upgrade isn’t something I can offer advice on.

Tldr get another 8gb of ram first. If this is a conventional desktop, a 8gb 2666mhz single stick on Amazon is around $20. Making sure the memory (when the new stick is added) is running in dual channel at its rated speed for the chipset can help a lot. Capacity alone can help a lot with performance anyway.

[Gabriele Graves]

Installing a second SSD just for the SL cache helped my performance a lot.

[Fionalein]

You could try Linux dualboot, SL runs a bit less efficient on Linux but you would safe way more than that amount on system overhead.

However taking forever to load stuff sounds like an IO throttle, Try Gabriele's idea, I have a small SSD just dedicated for my Kokua and Firestorm caches.

[elleevelyn]

it may be the connection between you and the  CDN (the content delivery network provider that Linden uses to host SL assets)

where I live in the world my CDN provider is in Australia and on some days is terrible. Textures particularly take ages as in 5 and 10 minutes to arrive, and some times never. It comes and goes tho, but when it comes then it can end up in me logging out and trying again another day

[Amy Nguya]

7 hours ago, Gabriele Graves said:

Installing a second SSD just for the SL cache helped my performance a lot.

Do you have any recommendations on which ssd to buy? thanks

[Gabriele Graves]

22 minutes ago, Amy Nguya said:

Do you have any recommendations on which ssd to buy? thanks

I was advised to go with a Samsung Evo SSD.  I've been very happy with that choice but how it compares with others brands/models, I have no idea.

[Fionalein]

8 minutes ago, Gabriele Graves said:

I was advised to go with a Samsung Evo SSD.  I've been very happy with that choice but how it compares with others brands/models, I have no idea.

They seem to do well in tests on performance and aging, but that could as well just be clever propaganda. That said two of my three SSDs are EVOs.

Edited August 17, 2023 by Fionalein

[Gabriele Graves]

Just now, Fionalein said:

they seem to do well in tests on performance and aging, but that could as well just be clever propaganda

I have no idea about the technical aspects vs marketing but it has been running for nearly 5 years so far without hiccup.

[Amy Nguya]

1 hour ago, Gabriele Graves said:

I have no idea about the technical aspects vs marketing but it has been running for nearly 5 years so far without hiccup.

Samsung 980 1TB M.2 SSD NVMe PCIe 3.0 Solid State Drive - MZ-V8V1T0BW (awd-it.co.uk)

Would this one work?

[Rachel1206]

2 hours ago, Amy Nguya said:

Samsung 980 1TB M.2 SSD NVMe PCIe 3.0 Solid State Drive - MZ-V8V1T0BW (awd-it.co.uk)

Would this one work?

It is one of best SSD, but be aware that is had latest firmware from Samsung, as earlier versions has problems, where data could get lost.

An excellent alternative is WD BLACK SN850X.

I have the cheaper, older WD Black SN770 SSD, it is fast and reliable, if you are on a budget highly recommended.

[Gabriele Graves]

4 hours ago, Amy Nguya said:

Samsung 980 1TB M.2 SSD NVMe PCIe 3.0 Solid State Drive - MZ-V8V1T0BW (awd-it.co.uk)

Would this one work?

I'm sorry, I cannot give any better advice than I've already given.  I just don't have the expertise in SSDs.  That's a different model from mine but then it would be after 5 years.

[Jenna Huntsman]

Before investing in new hardware, try the new PBR viewer - it has a bunch of performance improvements which may help you get up to speed:

https://releasenotes.secondlife.com/viewer/7.0.0.581126.html

That said, your CPU is pretty anaemic for anything outside of productivity work now, so I'd prioritize upgrading that if you are investing in new hardware.

[Amy Nguya]

4 hours ago, Jenna Huntsman said:

Before investing in new hardware, try the new PBR viewer - it has a bunch of performance improvements which may help you get up to speed:

https://releasenotes.secondlife.com/viewer/7.0.0.581126.html

That said, your CPU is pretty anaemic for anything outside of productivity work now, so I'd prioritize upgrading that if you are investing in new hardware.

Ah okay! That's what I was thinking of doing at the start, I watched this video by this SL user and they made a list of stuff for good performance but the video is 2 years old now..

Part List - Intel Core i3-9100F, GeForce GTX 1060 6GB, Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower - PCPartPicker    -   I was thinking of getting the intel CPU they recommend in the list

 

[CandyCole]

Have you ever considered a laptop instead? .. You can use your original mouse, keyboard and monitor with it, if you wish, giving you two screens.

The components within any decent name brand laptop will be matched and you also have the battery which is like having a built-in UPS (uninterruptible power supply) for power outages.

Best models from last year will easily handle SL and many other tasks.

It all depends on how much money you want to make available based upon how important a decent computer is for you. Only you can answer that.

I haven't had a desktop PC in over a decade.

 

Edited August 18, 2023 by CandyCole
speling

[gwynchisholm]

1 hour ago, Amy Nguya said:

Ah okay! That's what I was thinking of doing at the start, I watched this video by this SL user and they made a list of stuff for good performance but the video is 2 years old now..

Part List - Intel Core i3-9100F, GeForce GTX 1060 6GB, Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower - PCPartPicker    -   I was thinking of getting the intel CPU they recommend in the list

 

Is your psu the same or something similar as that list? Worth making sure to look at potential upgrades.

I would not do a cpu upgrade, anything you could economically get for H310 will be too small of a jump. And I say economically in that when you start looking at the i7 9700 and i9 9900 along with needing a better cpu cooler you’re also in the cost territory of just moving to a whole new platform with a better upgrade path. 

Going to the i5 9400F just gives you two more cores and threads, the single thread performance is identical. The extra 2 cores will do little to nothing for SL.

Going to the i7 9700F is a bigger jump and there’s some single core performance gains which will help with SL, but then that chip is around $140 USD used which in my opinion is not worth the cost for the performance gained. The money that would be spent on a cpu upgrade would be better spent on the other hardware. 
Namely, another 8gb of ram. Having 16gb total and running in dual channel will provide a decent, though nothing huge, performance boost for very little money. You can get a single 8gb dimm of ddr4 for extremely cheap.

I would do a gpu upgrade provided you have at least that 500w psu, and the specific gpu will depend on how much you’re willing to sink into it. A GPU upgrade will give you the best improvement out of the existing system, before it makes more sense to just replace the entire build.

A used GTX 1080 would be my recommendation, a huge jump over a 1650, they’re usually around $120-130 these days, though up to $150 for the fancier models.

Other good options would be the 1070ti (nearly the same), Radeon Vega 64 (more power hungry), or sometimes you can find a Titan X Pascal for around the same price as a higher end gtx 1080 model which would be the go-to as the Titan Xp is similar to a 1080ti

But that’s about where I would stop with a tier of gpu for an i3 9100F, the 9100F is plenty capable and was the defining generation where even the i3’s became quadcores, but it’s not going to hold up with much higher end pairings than the above. So newer equivalents apply but not much more:

GTX 1080 = RTX 2070 = Radeon 5700XT = Radeon RX 6600 = RTX 3050

[Jenna Huntsman]

10 hours ago, Amy Nguya said:

Ah okay! That's what I was thinking of doing at the start, I watched this video by this SL user and they made a list of stuff for good performance but the video is 2 years old now..

Part List - Intel Core i3-9100F, GeForce GTX 1060 6GB, Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower - PCPartPicker    -   I was thinking of getting the intel CPU they recommend in the list

 

That part list is a really odd mix of components, and absolutely would be a low end machine even for the time the video was made.

Given the conflicting information as to what people on this thread are recommending, it might be worth considering how much you can spare to spend on upgrades - that is a major factor in what should be recommended to you.

[Amy Nguya]

1 hour ago, Jenna Huntsman said:

That part list is a really odd mix of components, and absolutely would be a low end machine even for the time the video was made.

Given the conflicting information as to what people on this thread are recommending, it might be worth considering how much you can spare to spend on upgrades - that is a major factor in what should be recommended to you.

I mean I'm happy to spend as much as I need to get all the parts that would make sl run smoothly in busy areas or have a high draw distance etc.  

[Amy Nguya]

I am just a bit clueless when it comes to PC parts 😅

[SarahKB7 Koskinen]

Your hardware is fine.  The only thing I would suggest changing is to increase the memory from 8GB to 16GB. Too much memory is always better than not having enough.

Are the insides of the PC clean?  Dust and other obstructions (such as badly positioned cables) will decrease airflow and cause internal temperatures to rise, making your PC perform less efficiently and will make your PC case fans spin more quickly and more loudly.

If your PC is only using wireless internet, simply connecting it physically to your router with an ethernet cable will improve online performance.

Also, try looking to see if your PC is running too many or unnecessary background apps and shut those down or disable them.

Edited August 18, 2023 by SarahKB7 Koskinen

[Rowan Amore]

1 hour ago, Amy Nguya said:

busy areas or have a high draw distance

Just don't try to do both at the same time.  If you're in a busy club or shopping event, there's no need to have your draw distance high at all.  The only time I have mine above 128 (and I've just recently started using that distance) is when I'm on mainland.  Your basic private estate?  256 is high enough.  There's generally no reason whatsoever to have it maxed out unless your racing down a road on mainland.  IMHO